Question: Let $n$ be the integer such that $0 \le n < 31$ and $3n \equiv 1 \pmod{31}$. What is $\left(2^n\right)^3 - 2 \pmod{31}$?

Express your answer as an integer from $0$ to $30$, inclusive.
Solution: Since $21 \cdot 3 = 63 = 2 \cdot 31 + 1$, it follows that $21$ is the modular inverse of $3$, modulo $31$. Thus, $2^n \equiv 2^{21} \pmod{31}$. After computing some powers of $2$, we notice that $2^5 \equiv 1 \pmod{31}$, so $2^{21} \equiv 2 \cdot \left(2^{5}\right)^{4} \equiv 2 \pmod{31}$. Thus, $\left(2^{21}\right)^3 \equiv 2^3 \equiv 8 \pmod{31}$, and $$\left(2^{21}\right)^3 - 2 \equiv 8 - 2 \equiv \boxed{6} \pmod{31}$$Notice that this problem implies that $\left(a^{3^{-1}}\right)^3 \not\equiv a \pmod{p}$ in general, so that certain properties of modular inverses do not extend to exponentiation (for that, one needs to turn to Fermat's Little Theorem or other related theorems).